Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation
4.9K games from Lichess · Updated January 2026
White expected score · All ratings · All speeds
48.1%
the worst score you would still get, 90% confident. At best 49.3%.
Measured over 4.9K games at this level and clock.
Roughly even — the middlegame decides more than this opening choice does.
Outcomes for White
Draw 7.3 · Score = win + ½ of the draws · 4.9K games
- Rank among the families White can choose here
- not ranked — this is a variation, not a family
- Games in this context
- 4.9K
- Best context
- 51.1% at 2200-2499 Blitz
- Worst context
- 46.6% at 2000-2199 Blitz
- Average game length
- 36 moves
- Games that end decisively
- 92.7%
- Draws
- 7.3%
Best and worst are the strongest and weakest squares with at least 500 games behind them. The table further down shows every square, including thinner ones.
Where it holds · White score by rating × clock
Green is clearly ahead for White, grey is around even, red is behind. Tap a cell to measure there, and again to clear. It holds about the same all the way up, near 61.2%.
| Rating | UB | Bulle | Blitz | Rapid | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-999 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1000-1199 | — | — | — | ||
| 1200-1399 | — | — | |||
| 1400-1599 | — | ||||
| 1600-1799 | — | ||||
| 1800-1999 | — | ||||
| 2000-2199 | — | ||||
| 2200-2499 | — | ||||
| 2500+ | — | — |
Expected score matrix by rating bracket and time control
- 0-999 rating, Bullet: 61.2% expected score (3 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Bullet: 44.2% expected score (7 games)
- 1000-1199 rating, Blitz: 65.4% expected score (5 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Bullet: 46.1% expected score (24 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Blitz: 53.3% expected score (14 games)
- 1200-1399 rating, Rapid: 31.9% expected score (4 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Bullet: 46.7% expected score (87 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Blitz: 45.6% expected score (77 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Rapid: 56.4% expected score (22 games)
- 1400-1599 rating, Classical: 78.6% expected score (2 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Bullet: 41.7% expected score (174 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Blitz: 46.1% expected score (254 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Rapid: 51.7% expected score (58 games)
- 1600-1799 rating, Classical: 54.8% expected score (9 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Bullet: 47.7% expected score (254 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Blitz: 46.7% expected score (757 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Rapid: 51.9% expected score (211 games)
- 1800-1999 rating, Classical: 66.2% expected score (14 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Bullet: 50.0% expected score (288 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Blitz: 46.6% expected score (1,094 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Rapid: 46.1% expected score (253 games)
- 2000-2199 rating, Classical: 54.9% expected score (19 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Bullet: 47.8% expected score (332 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Blitz: 51.1% expected score (580 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Rapid: 47.6% expected score (162 games)
- 2200-2499 rating, Classical: 51.8% expected score (27 games)
- 2500+ rating, Bullet: 54.4% expected score (113 games)
- 2500+ rating, Blitz: 55.3% expected score (65 games)
- 2500+ rating, Rapid: 73.6% expected score (7 games)
Related Openings
Methodology
Across every rating and clock, the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation scores 48.1% for White — we are 90% confident the real figure is between 47.0% and 49.3% — from 4.9K Lichess games. Win rate, draw rate and loss rate come from games played December 2023 to November 2025.
How the figures are made
- Whose games these are
- 4.9K+ rated games played on Lichess (2023-12 to 2025-11). The games are Lichess’s and free for anyone to use. What is ours is the reading of them. Last rebuilt January 2026.
- Which games we count
- Rated games only — nothing casual.
- Both players within 200 rating points of each other. A mismatch tells you about the gap, not about the opening.
- At least 2 moves played.
- A game is filed under White’s rating.
- Why every number comes with a range
- A number off a few hundred games is a guess. The same number off millions is a fact. The range is what tells them apart, and it is what the lists rank on — so an opening cannot reach the top on a lucky run of forty games. The more games behind a figure, the narrower its range.
- How much we need before we say anything
- An opening page needs 100 games. A gambit needs 50 games at a rating before we will say whether it pays there. The chaos and trap lists need 500 games overall and 250 games at one rating or clock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate?
Playing the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation, White wins 44.5%, draws 7.3% and loses 48.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.1%. It rests on 4.9K rated games from Lichess.
At what rating does the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation perform best?
The Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation performs best for White at 2500+, with an Expected Score of 55.7% (185 games) and the highest Floor of any rating with enough games to read.
Is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation better in blitz or rapid?
For White, the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation scores higher in Rapid: an Expected Score of 47.7% in Blitz (2.8K games) against 49.1% in Rapid (717 games).
How sharp is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation?
The Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation has a sharpness score of 92.7 (decisive), meaning 92.7% of games end decisively. Average game length is 36 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate at 1400-1599?
At 1400-1599, White wins 46.2%, draws 3.4% and loses 50.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.9%. It rests on 188 Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate at 1600-1799?
At 1600-1799, White wins 43.4%, draws 3.9% and loses 52.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 45.4%. It rests on 495 Lichess games, which average 32 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate at 1800-1999?
At 1800-1999, White wins 44.9%, draws 6.2% and loses 48.9%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 48.0%. It rests on 1.2K Lichess games, which average 35 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate at 2000-2199?
At 2000-2199, White wins 42.9%, draws 8.7% and loses 48.5%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.2%. It rests on 1.7K Lichess games, which average 36 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate at 2200-2499?
At 2200-2499, White wins 45.3%, draws 8.5% and loses 46.2%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.6%. It rests on 1.1K Lichess games, which average 39 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate at 2500+?
At 2500+, White wins 50.7%, draws 9.9% and loses 39.4%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 55.7%. It rests on 185 Lichess games, which average 43 moves.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate in Bullet?
In Bullet, White wins 45.5%, draws 4.9% and loses 49.7%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.9%. It rests on 1.3K Lichess games.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate in Blitz?
In Blitz, White wins 43.7%, draws 7.9% and loses 48.3%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 47.7%. It rests on 2.8K Lichess games.
What is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation win rate in Rapid?
In Rapid, White wins 45.0%, draws 8.1% and loses 46.8%. Counting a draw as half a point, that is an Expected Score of 49.1%. It rests on 717 Lichess games.
Is the Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation a good opening?
The Russian Game: Classical Attack, Chigorin Variation is hard work for White — it favours Black. Across all ratings, White wins 44.5% of its games and loses 48.3%. It performs best at 2500+. Your results depend on your rating, time control, and how well you know the typical plans.